Bill Auditing Expert or 3PL? Which is Better?

What’s the Point of a Freight Bill Auditing Agent? 

Simply put, the job of a freight bill auditing agent is that of the financial wizard.

Auditing companies work hard to ensure that their clients are not overlooking any discrepancies on the invoices they are paying. To do this, most modern bill auditors employ the help of various software solutions.

Coupling their experience with billing software, these experts are able to go over financial receipts, past transactions, and even active invoices with a fine-tooth comb. If and when any inconsistencies are found, they document and discuss them with the client. The really good bill auditors will then take the time to go over some ideas on how to best correct these issues.

The one major drawback of working with a bill auditing company is that they don't specialize in the supply chain. They don't quite understand where hidden charges exist, specifics about rate negotiations including fuel surcharges and other supply chain specific issues. Unfortunately, these are all issues that may later be reflected in, or otherwise impact future freight bills.

For this reason, a bill auditor is not the right route for every large shipper.

A third-party logistics company that offers freight bill services has the luxury of the best of both worlds. They can oftentimes fulfill the role of financial guru, but one who also understands the ins and outs of the supply chain.

In fact, most 3PL freight bill auditing specialists have worked on the other side of the fence, working directly with carriers and other logistics-based companies. This provides a practical real-world experience that most auditing firms simply cannot provide.

Top 3 Reasons to Outsource Your Bill Auditing to a 3PL

Stay Ahead of Monthly Invoicing

Starting your month out on the right foot can be the ultimate game-changer that you didn't even know you needed. And one of the best ways to start it off is by getting all the finances in order, first. By making this the first priority of any new month, you greatly increase the chances of finding potential issues with enough time to correct them. The name of the logistics game is proactivity.

Most 3PLs are able to give you a significant advantage in this regard. With a 3PL partner monitoring your supply chain around the clock, they are your first line of defense. And given enough authority to handle matters on your behalf, they can fic most issues as they arise.

Save Money by Outsourcing to Specialists

Typically, when you trust a specialist or hire somebody that specializes in one area, it inevitably costs you more money.

While this might be true of most bill auditors, this isn't the case for 3PL companies. As a matter of fact, 3PLs are much more affordable than any financial expert out there today.

The reason for this difference in price is all in how they each operate. While a bill auditor is charging for his time, expertise, and work on an invoicing issue, the 3PL has an entire network to back them up. When time can be divided amongst many experts in this network, the average cost goes down and the savings are passed along to the client.

Keep Moving Forward

When you have a powerful and experienced 3rd party logistics company like Redwood Logistics in your corner, your supply chain company can move forward into the new fiscal year with the confidence, knowing that your business is paying what they should. If you and your employees do not have to focus on auditing bills, or sussing out carriers that operate ethically, you can focus on driving sales, taking care of your customers, and finding new business opportunities. 

If you’d like to learn more about freight bill auditing services provided by Redwood Logistics, contact us today. Our team of experts is more than ready to take a look at all those invoices for you!